Big Leaf Maple – a tree that gurgles with delight

I love maples, because, even a naturalist rookie like me can identify them. But I did not know that, if I took a stethoscope to the Big Leap Maple tree, I could hear its sap gurgling inside its trunk.

The fruit of the Big Leaf Maple is a double winged samara where the wings diverge at the seed. The seed is often hairy and when mature has a yellowish to tan color. The samara’s wings range from 1.5″ to 2.0″ long.